Meta and YouTube have been found guilty on all seven counts in a landmark trial in Los Angeles that could shape the future of social media in the U.S.
The verdict comes a day after a similar verdict was reached on a case in New Mexico, where a jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million for violating consumer protection laws.
In the Los Angeles case, a jury awarded the 20-year-old plaintiff, identified as Kaley or KGM in court documents, $3 million in compensatory damages after finding that the companies were negligent and failed to warn users about the addictive nature of their platforms.
The jury determined that features such as infinite scroll were deliberately engineered to maximize engagement at the expense of mental health, contributing to Kaley’s struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts.
Because the jury also found that the companies acted with malice, the trial will now move into a second phase to determine punitive damages, which could significantly increase the final payout.
This outcome is expected to set a major precedent for more than 1,600 similar lawsuits currently pending across the country.
